Thai Chicken and Noodles in Satay Sauce

24. February, 2009

My husband loves, loves, loves this recipe. It is one of his favourite meals. Because I am a vegetarian I usually prepare some vegetables and tofu for me and then we serve the rice noodles and satay sauce separately. The sauce is excellent with almost everything. Although it is high in calories, the fat is not saturated and is actually good for your heart (well if you don't eat loads and loads of it).

Preparation

Coat a frying pan with 1 teaspoon coconut oil and some water if needed, heat over high heat, add chicken breasts, cook for 4-5 minutes without moving them, then turn and finish cooking. Set aside and keep warm if you can (or you can reheat later).

Peel the 4 shallots and 4 garlic cloves and chop finely.

Trim the lemon grass root and the tough top away, leaving about 15 centimetres (6 inches) of the stem, remove the outer skin and slice the lemon grass finely.

Add a couple of tablespoons water to the pan and fry the shallots, garlic and lemon grass for 5 minutes.

Pour the mixture onto the pan and heat for 2 minutes. Stir frequently.

Heat the sauce gently for about 10-15 minutes. The sauce will thicken and to test if it is sufficiently thickened you can dip the back of a spoon in the sauce. If the spoon comes out coated, the sauce is ready. Cook for a little longer if it is too thin.

Whilst the sauce is thickening prepare the noodles. Fill a medium saucepan with water and boil the 175 grams noodles according to instructions on the packet. Drain the noodles and divide them between the serving plates.

Re-heat the chicken if you prefer and place it on top of the noodles.

Pour the sauce over the chicken or serve separately.

Tips

You can also shred the chicken if you prefer.

If the coconut oil is cold (in which case it becomes solid), place the jar in a bowl filled with hot water for a couple of minutes.

You can use raw cane sugar (or maple syrup) instead of the agave nectar.